Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 519 The Mysterious Female, Frozen and Shattered, Divine Lightning Cracks the Gates of Hell (Seeking Donations and Subscriptions!)

The battleground, shrouded in celestial mist, is a viewing platform suspended in the surrounding sky.

The clouds and mist were like woven brocade, upon which sat or stood numerous figures with profound auras, all of whom were giants of various sects or outstanding talents and geniuses.

The nine sects and thirty-six factions of the human race, as well as the foreign cultivators who came with the edict of the Nuwa Emperor, were all paying close attention to the grand competition in the arena.

After defeating Xie Chenxiao, Lu Cheng did not leave the scene. He stood with his hands behind his back on the Floating Cloud Platform belonging to the Taiqing Sect, his Daoist robe fluttering, his aura as restrained as an ancient abyss.

Beside him was Jin Shayu, whose face was slightly pale, clearly having expended considerable energy in the previous battle.

An Xiaoyue stood a little behind with her arms crossed, her expression calm and composed. The imposing aura emanating from her body remained undiminished as she concentrated on regulating her breathing, preparing for the possible battle that was about to begin.

"This Brother Lu is exceptionally talented and possesses remarkable swordsmanship, but unfortunately, he is no match for me." The voice belonged to a female cultivator, dressed in a dark blue Daoist robe. Her appearance was so ordinary that it was almost impossible to look at her twice. She was slender and carried a long sword with an ancient and simple design on her back.

If it weren't for the chilling, ethereal sword intent emanating from her, seemingly capable of cleaving through time and space, almost anyone would mistake her for an insignificant low-ranking disciple. However, this person was none other than Qiu Ruoshui, the true swordswoman of the Xuanxin Sword Sect.

Her gaze fell on Lu Cheng, revealing not a trace of divine intent, making it extremely difficult to sense her.
"That Five Elements Thunder Sword technique was indeed exquisite and could be considered a master. Unfortunately, his foundational cultivation level was ultimately his limitation. At the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, being able to use the Five Elements Thunder Sword to defeat Xie Chenxiao was already his limit."

"What he cultivates is neither the 'Wanfa Wuwei' of the 'Hun Yuan Yi Qi' nor the 'Wanfu Guiyuan' of the 'Xuan Shu Mi Shou Fu Jing'. That pure Dao power that is fused into the muscles, bones, blood, and flesh, as if the person and the cultivation are one... gives people a feeling more like the artistic conception of the 'Xuanmen Dan Ding Lian Xing Mi Dian' of the Taiqing Sect."

Upon hearing Qiu Ruoshui's words, the eyes of the Xuanxin Sword Sect disciples beside her all flickered slightly.

They knew that their eldest sister was usually taciturn, but once she opened her mouth, every word was like a sword, hitting the mark every time.

"But Senior Sister, that Five Elements Thunder Sword technique is one thing, but his final Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Talisman Formation really suppressed Xie Chenxiao. To be able to cultivate such a level of talisman technique in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm without cultivating the 'Secretly Transmitted Talisman Scripture of the Profound Pivot' is too frightening, isn't it?"

Beside Qiu Ruoshui, a pretty and youthful girl asked this question. It wasn't that she doubted her senior sister's judgment, but she just couldn't understand it.

"Because what suppressed Xie Chenxiao was not the Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Talisman Formation, but the sword intent of that Fellow Daoist Lu."

Xie Chenxiao's mind was suppressed, so even though the final Four Symbols Divine Talisman didn't actually possess the power of returning to the void, Xie Chenxiao's Daoist techniques were still forced to develop flaws, ultimately allowing Fellow Daoist Lu to slay him with a single sword strike.

Xie Chenxiao, the true disciple of the Eastern Celestial Palace of Creation, did not die. Although he was fatally wounded by a sword strike to the throat and the impact of the sword energy on his primordial spirit was a serious injury, such an injury would not kill him in the Nuwa Sacred Realm.

The Immortal Pool Sword Fighting Tournament has been held many times. Although casualties are inevitable, the gains for each faction generally outweigh the losses. Otherwise, it would not have been able to continue for so many years and so many times.

After speaking, Qiu Ruoshui ignored the reactions of her fellow disciples and swept her gaze across the other side of the jade platform, where the Yuqing and Shangqing sects were located.

Those few auras were ethereal and elusive, like viewing mountains through mist, which made Qiu Ruoshui's tone somewhat solemn:
"Although the Taiqing Sect still has some foundation, it has declined for many years and is unlikely to regain its former glory. This time, with three people entering the top 100, Lu Cheng has a chance to compete for a place in the top 20, which is already the limit. The real threats are the Yuqing and Shangqing Sects. Which of the nine sects of the human race doesn't have a foundation spanning ten thousand years? Especially these two, who hide their strength and have countless secret techniques. Even now, the information we can find out is still mostly just the tip of the iceberg that they are willing to reveal. Alas." A barely audible sigh escaped his lips, carrying a deep sense of apprehension towards an unknown and powerful enemy.

The Xuanxin Sword Sect is one of the thirty-six sects of the human race, and its ranking is not low. However, even so, it is still in danger of being destroyed.

Over countless years, the thirty-six sects of the human race have all changed and even had their lineages broken. Only the nine sects of the human race have stood for countless years, still dominating the world.

The lifelong pursuits of Qiu Ruoshui and her master, Xuanji Sword Master, besides ascending to immortality, were to elevate the Xuanxin Sword Sect to a position equal to that of the Nine Sects of the Human Race.

"Hmph!" A cold snort, like a muffled thunderclap from the heavens, interrupted Qiu Ruoshui's remark.

The newcomer was a burly young man with a beard.

He wore a purple-gold robe embroidered with mysterious lightning patterns, electric snakes coiled around his body, and his aura was domineering, causing waves to ripple wherever he went. He was none other than Yuwen Zhuo, the current chief disciple of the Divine Firmament Heavenly Sect and the head of the "Four Lesser True Ones".

“Low cultivation is no excuse! This person does have some skill; he was able to suppress a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with his swordsmanship while only being in the mid-stage of Nascent Soul. That alone is enough to make me take a look! What a pity... his Samadhi True Fire, which could burn through a thousand caves and even make Void Returning Demons wary, was exhausted in that battle!”

"Otherwise! I really want to fight him to the death and see if his true fire is more domineering, or my divine lightning is more powerful!"

As soon as Yuwen Zhuo finished speaking, the huge "Fate-Following Bottle" floating above the Immortal Pool suddenly shone brightly with azure light. The bottle trembled slightly, and after a clear and melodious hum, several streams of light flew out. One of the streams of light was precisely projected towards the Floating Cloud Immortal Seat where the Taiqing Sect was located.

However, this round of combat has ended, and the next round has begun.

The flowing light solidified before An Xiaoyue, transforming into a crystal-clear jade token, upon which ancient immortal script was clearly engraved: "Jade Platform of the Number 19."

The challenger: Han Shuangzi from the Xuanpin Golden Immortal Sect!

An Xiaoyue slightly raised her eyes, her gaze devoid of sorrow or joy, revealing only a resolute will as firm as a mountain.

She made a loose grasp with one hand, and the jade slip fell into her palm.

"She's here. Be careful of her chilling magic!" Jin Shayu frowned slightly and warned in a low voice.

Although the Xuanpin Golden Immortal Sect is not among the Nine Sects, it is still one of the top sects among the Thirty-Six Sects. Its doctrines are based on the Xuanpin of Heaven and Earth, and it is proficient in the Daoist arts of water and ice. In particular, the Xuanyin Cold Fiery Qi transformed by the "Xuanpin Condensing True Scripture" is bone-corroding and soul-devouring, and its insidious damage is difficult to guard against.

Lu Cheng nodded slightly, without saying anything more, only saying, "Make this quick and decisive, don't try to outmaneuver her in terms of mental strength and resilience."

An Xiaoyue nodded upon hearing this, took a step forward, and her figure transformed into a thick yellow light, crashing into the designated "Nineteenth B" jade platform.

At this moment, on the opposite side of the jade platform, a female cultivator dressed in plain white robes with a cool and beautiful face was already standing quietly.

Her skin was as clear as snow, and she was surrounded by a visible pale blue aura of coldness, which caused the celestial energy within several feet of her to condense into tiny ice crystals that drifted down.

He is the current true disciple of the Xuanpin Golden Immortal Sect, with the Daoist name "Han Shuang". He has cultivated to the level of the Nascent Soul stage, and of course deserves the title of "Zi".

She saw An Xiaoyue settle down, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"Fellow Daoist An Xiaoyue of the Taiqing Sect? You flatter me." Han Shuangzi's voice was ethereal and cold, like ice spring water dripping onto a jade plate.

An Xiaoyue remained silent, but then lowered her waist and stood on her right side, clenching her fists tightly. A powerful and heavy magical force suddenly spread out from her center.

An invisible force field pressed down on the jade platform, causing it to tremble slightly. Even the chilling aura emanating from Han Shuangzi was forced back three inches by this powerful force.

Han Shuangzi's eyes narrowed, and he said no more. With a light wave of his whisk, dozens of pale blue Xuan Yin cold energies condensed into ice cones, tearing through the air like a rain of pear blossoms, and shooting towards An Xiaoyue with the will to freeze everything.

At the same time, Han Shuangzi's gaze met An Xiaoyue's.

In an instant, An Xiaoyue seemed to witness the coldest and most frigid limit of the universe, where all existence was reduced to annihilation. Whether it was the flowing spiritual energy, the ethereal soul, the fleeting thought, or even the vast universe and the boundless void, all were frozen in eternal ice.

This is precisely the Frost Law that Han Shuangzi cultivates. The Daoist realm pursued by the Xuanpin Golden Immortal Sect is to transcend the icy cold of the universe's end, where the universe is annihilated but I am immortal—this is the Golden Immortal.

Compared to this icy gaze, the outward manifestation of Daoist magic is nothing.

Frost and snow quickly condensed on An Xiaoyue's body, but her eyes were focused. With a low shout, she slammed out her right fist, which was wrapped in a layer of solidified Xuanhuang energy!

The force of the punch transformed into a thick wall of air, rumbling and crushing through.

"The intent of the fist is as solid as a mountain!"

An Xiaoyue didn't confront Han Shuangzi's ice laws. Instead, she merged her own magical intent and physical body, launching a simultaneous physical attack, aiming to defeat her opponent before she herself was frozen solid. *Pfft pfft pfft pfft!*

The dense, rain-like ice needles struck the dark yellow wall of energy, producing a dull thud.

The powerful impact caused the air wall to vibrate violently, and dense ice needles quickly condensed and covered it, as if to freeze the entire air wall into a block of ice.

However, An Xiaoyue's fist continued its momentum. It was as if a thousand mountains were flowing and a sea was surging within her body. The immense power she had cultivated by refining the array into her body, combined with the "Secret Manual of Refining Form in the Mysterious Alchemy Cauldron," was continuous. It shattered and dispersed layer upon layer of ice shards, and her fist broke through the rain of needles, striking straight at her center.

'They launched a fierce attack, giving me no time to activate my magic.'

Han Shuangzi's expression changed slightly. A lotus flower bloomed beneath her feet, and a huge ice lotus blossomed instantly. Her figure merged into the icy blue escape light and quickly retreated, creating distance.

At the same time, she waved her sleeve, and a precious mirror appeared. The cold air in the void rapidly condensed, forming six huge rhomboid ice mirrors around the female crown and the precious mirror, which rotated around the female crown.

The mirror was smooth and translucent, reflecting An Xiaoyue's figure on every side, radiating an eerie light that caused mental confusion and deflected attacks.

An Xiaoyue's powerful punch landed on the ever-changing ice mirror, but the force was strangely dispersed and deflected in several directions, causing the sharpness of her punch to dissipate.

Furthermore, an extremely cold and sinister divine power, following the reflection on the mirror, burrowed into her Niwan Sea of ​​Consciousness like a venomous snake; it was none other than the formless and intangible "Ice Soul Heart Lock"!
A sudden chill ran through his mind, as if he were about to be frozen solid!

A faint light flashed between An Xiaoyue's brows, her will, honed by years of array training, was as firm as a mountain, forcefully suppressing the erosion of that chilling divine thought.

But the action was inevitably slowed down for a moment. Han Shuangzi seized the opportunity, sneered, and her slender fingers danced like butterflies flitting among flowers. The temperature on the jade platform suddenly dropped to a level that made one's soul tremble.

"The Eternal Ice Realm, sealed!"

A gigantic phantom of an ice lotus appeared above the jade platform, blooming layer by layer. Countless runes and icy cold energy fell and scattered from the lotus petals, intertwining and entwining, instantly sealing and freezing the space where An Xiaoyue was located.

The frozen area spread rapidly, and the cold air was so dense that it flowed like a tangible pale blue liquid, intending to completely freeze An Xiaoyue in this "Mysterious Ice Realm" and turn her into a perfect ice sculpture.

Outside the arena, disciples of the Xuanpin Golden Immortal Sect were already wearing smug smiles. Jin Shayu's expression turned serious as he whispered, "This is troublesome. This cold energy is quite effective against Junior Sister's cultivation!"

Lu Cheng didn't say much, but he used his Fiery Eyes of Truth to know whether An Xiaoyue would win or lose in that instant.

In that terrifyingly low-temperature core that almost froze the soul, An Xiaoyue's figure was not completely frozen.

The thick, dark yellow aura surrounding him was like a mountain vein compressed to its limit, struggling against the erosion and solidification of the icy cold.

An Xiaoyue's muscles were taut, and her sleeves had long since turned to ashes in the clash between the immense force and the cold air, revealing her fair arms with a metallic sheen and muscle textures like coiled dragons.

"Shatter... Star!" A suppressed roar, seemingly from the depths of the earth, came from within the ice.

Boom! Crack!
Centered on An Xiaoyue, countless spiderweb-like cracks exploded on the hard Xuanpin Frost.

That wasn't brute force destruction, but a terrifying, tremor-like force originating from the heavens and earth, powerful enough to overturn mountains. The entire Jade Platform was shaking violently!

In mid-air, the face of the Frosty Maiden suddenly turned deathly pale, and the divine sense maintaining the "Mysterious Female Condensation Realm" trembled violently as if struck by a heavy hammer.

Immediately afterwards, all the ice crystals covering An Xiaoyue's body, along with the frozen cold air around her, were completely shattered from the inside by an overwhelming and destructive force, breaking into ice crystal dust that was indistinguishable to the naked eye, like snow mist exploding and spreading across the jade platform.

An Xiaoyue advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, and the Great Dao she comprehended and cultivated was the Great Dao of Destruction acquired through later cultivation.

She cultivated the array into her body, using the array as a method to contain the Dao mechanism of heaven and earth, but at the same time, she was constantly destroying it. After a hundred years of effort, breaking and rebuilding nine times, she finally achieved great enlightenment and advanced to the Nascent Soul stage.

Jin Shayu advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, and the Great Dao he comprehended and cultivated became the Great Dao of Acquired Fire.

The five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—are all acquired principles, but if the five elements are integrated into one, they become the innate five-elemental principles.

Just like An Xiaoyue's acquired destructive path, it can also be sublimated into innate paths such as killing, destruction, annihilation, and the end of fortune. However, these distinctions between acquired and innate paths are recorded by predecessors in Taoist books. In fact, considering these things before ascending to immortality is not very meaningful. The acquired path may be easier to cultivate than the innate path, and it may be easier for people to become immortals.

"Not good!" Han Shuangzi screamed. She hadn't expected An Xiaoyue to cultivate the Great Dao of Destruction. She immediately knew she couldn't hold on any longer. She forcibly formed hand seals to strengthen her defenses in front of her and tried to retreat at the same time.

However, An Xiaoyue had already escaped!

Her figure was like a raging beast breaking free of heavy shackles, her fists striking out simultaneously, no longer a defensive barrier, but a pure, destructive, and ferocious attack!

Those slender fists seemed to embody the essence of the entire mountain, so heavy and so swift that they slammed into the hastily formed, massive ice shield with an aura capable of shattering everything.

Clang—Pop!

With a deafening roar, the massive ice shield held out for less than a breath before shattering into countless ice shards under the immense force of the punch.

The violent force of the punch did not dissipate; it carried An Xiaoyue and slammed into the protective aura of Han Shuangzi.

puff!
As if struck by a prehistoric beast, Han Shuangzi coughed up blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the protective light barrier at the edge of the jade platform. The spiritual light shield flickered violently several times before stabilizing her body, but her face was ashen, her breath weak, and she didn't even have the strength to stand up.

On the jade platform, ice dust filled the air, and the chill lingered, but the outcome was already decided.

An Xiaoyue slowly withdrew her fists and stood up, breathing heavily, her chest heaving violently. The knuckles of her fists were slightly red, and some minor cuts were difficult to heal quickly under the corrosive cold air. Clearly, forcibly shattering the "Mysterious Female Condensation Realm" and then launching a thunderous attack had taken a heavy toll on her.

But An Xiaoyue remained upright, her imposing presence as firm as a mountain, leaving the viewing platform in silence.

Even though her cultivation path was restrained, she still used the purest power to forcefully break through the frost-bitten cage and shatter her opponent's reliance.

"Jade Terrace of the Number Two, Taiqing Sect, An Xiaoyue wins!" The indifferent voice of the envoy from the Immortal Pool Sacred Realm echoed.

An Xiaoyue didn't even glance at her dejected opponent before turning around and flying back to the Floating Cloud Immortal Throne of the Taiqing Sect.

Returning to her seat, she immediately closed her eyes and sat cross-legged, her body radiating a faint light as she focused on restoring her damaged energy and fighting off the remaining invading cold. She silently accepted the Origin-Returning Pill that Lu Cheng offered, without having the energy to express her gratitude.

"That was a beautiful victory!" Jin Shayu praised sincerely, then added with a hint of helplessness, "It's just that Junior Sister's fighting style... going all out and fighting head-on is too taxing on her resources. I wonder how much strength she'll have left for the next match..."

Looking at An Xiaoyue's pale profile, Lu Cheng said slowly, "Junior Sister An has her own plans. It's good if she can win."

Then, his gaze shifted to another jade platform: "Next, let's see how domineering that Fourth Master of the Divine Firmament Heavenly Sect's thunder magic really is."

Yuwen Zhuo and An Xiaoyue entered the battle at the same time, but their battle time was slightly later. They faced Mu Yanluo, the young master of Guiku Ridge in Beiman Mountain, known as the "Ten Thousand Corpse God".

Mu Yanluo, dressed in a sinister bone armor robe and holding a long banner brimming with evil energy, was originally a fearsome and terrifying figure in the ghost path. Ordinary cultivators would be annihilated in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when faced with the fierce ghosts and evil spirits he commanded. However, standing under Yuwen Zhuo's lightning domain, he appeared somewhat insignificant.

The entire battle was a one-sided suppression, even though the ghostly mist was as black as ink, covering the sky and the sun, as if the entire jade platform had turned into the entrance to the Nine Nether Hell!
Hundreds of fierce ghosts with blue faces and fangs, exuding resentment, roared out. Among them were three ghost kings with a dark blue color and terrifying aura. These fierce ghosts and resentful souls had been refined by Mu Yanluo with secret methods for many years. They were not afraid of ordinary thunder and fire and had the supernatural power to devour souls and steal spirits.

But the purple lightning fell like billions of destructive dragons, instantly engulfing and completely swallowing the entire ghostly misty demonic realm!
Yuwen Zhuo severely injured Mu Yanluo in no more than three rounds, as easily as snapping his fingers.

(End of this chapter)